


Partners

by julien (julie)



Category: due South
Genre: Dubious Consent, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 1996-07-16
Updated: 1996-07-16
Packaged: 2020-10-25 18:28:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20728778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/julie/pseuds/julien
Summary: Lieutenant Welsh has worked out Huey’s best-kept secret - with serious consequences for Gardino.





	Partners

**Author's Note:**

> **Notes:** I figured it was about time I wrote about someone in DUE SOUTH other than Ray and Fraser… I also felt it was wise to try writing something a little harder and colder than all the pure unadulterated sap I’d been wallowing in. This is the result. 
> 
> **Warnings:** Selfishness and manipulation, oh my! 
> 
> **First published:** 16 July 1996 in my zine Pure Maple Syrup 3

# Partners 

♦

‘You’re still here, Detective?’ It was Lieutenant Welsh, wandering out from his office with his hands in his pockets.

‘Yes, sir,’ Jack Huey replied. The squad room was quiet and dark on this Sunday night, the rest of the Violent Crimes unit having stood down for a much-needed break. The uniformed nightshift were a dim buzz of movement elsewhere in the building.

‘Come in and have a drink,’ Welsh said.

Huey followed the man back into the Lieutenant’s cramped little office, and sat across the desk from his superior officer. A generous nip of whisky was poured and handed over.

‘What a week,’ Welsh said heavily. ‘If I didn’t laugh, I’d cry.’

‘Yes, sir.’

They sat there in silence for a moment, both contemplating recent memories. There had been a series of murders involving bizarre mutilations, a large-scale drug bust that the unit’s favourite FBI goons had been involved in, a kidnapping that had gone wrong, and a serious attempt made to bribe Detective Grant. Added to which, the Mountie had uncovered a possible conspiracy to commit fraud involving Vecchio’s favourite basketball player – the Italian was still loudly protesting the man’s innocence and complaining of Fraser’s need for revenge, though what the Mountie might be wanting revenge for was lost on Detective Huey. Even for Chicago, it had been a horrible week.

Huey sighed. ‘What should we laugh about, sir?’

‘One of Vecchio’s heroes trying to indict the other one?’

‘Ah, I don’t think I followed any of that situation, sir. Actually, I’ve been avoiding it.’

‘Then what about Vecchio’s reaction to that photographer the other day?’ Welsh suggested. ‘When he figured out the guy was queer, he didn’t know what to do. You should have seen the look on Vecchio’s face when he had to start examining the negatives – all disgusted in anticipation of what he’d find, with that brow of his wrinkled up. Looked like he’d tasted something foul.’

Huey nodded warily, sketched an amused smile. ‘Yes, sir.’

‘I thought to myself, Vecchio does not have the imagination or the nerve to be anything other than irredeemably straight.’

‘Only way I can see that changing,’ Huey offered, ‘is if his Mountie friend makes a pass at him.’

‘Ah, the big red one, yes.’ Welsh considered this for a moment. ‘There’s probably some Mountie regulation against such goings on. Fraser has an imagination, but he’s too by-the-book. In any case,’ Welsh said with a shrug, ‘what would he see in Vecchio?’

‘Good point, sir.’

Welsh turned his attention to Huey. ‘_But what_, I mused, _about Jack Huey?’_

Huey let a beat go by. ‘What about me, sir?’

‘Your reaction to the photographer, Detective, was a little more cosmopolitan than Vecchio’s.’

Silence for a moment. ‘Well, Vecchio is Italian, sir. He’s probably been sheltered from the real world to some extent. They live in quite a close-knit community.’

‘Whereas you haven’t been sheltered?’

‘No. You know where I grew up. Last time I was surprised by something, I was ten years old.’

‘Really?’ the Lieutenant said, pondering this.

Huey took the opportunity. ‘Still,’ he said easily, ‘there’s a silver lining in that particular cloud. I have plenty of experience to draw on in police-work, sir, a great deal of knowledge about how a range of people think and behave. Being sheltered in a small insular community doesn’t really prepare a man for dealing with situations outside his idea of normal.’

Welsh was watching him carefully. He observed, ‘You’re an ambitious man, Detective Huey.’ But this was said quietly and thoughtfully, without any condemnation.

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Why is that exactly?’

He took a breath. ‘I wanted to make something of myself, sir. It’s the old rags-to-riches story, the self-made man. There are a hundred movies telling the story of my life, sir.’

A nod, accepting this. And then Welsh apparently left that topic behind. ‘You know that I’ve been seeing Doctor Pearson.’

The medical examiner. Female. Blond and intelligent and never willing to give a Detective an inch. ‘Yes, sir.’

‘We go dancing, we go to the opera, we eat out at horribly expensive places.’

Huey acknowledged this vaguely, wondering at the reasons behind the provision of this information.

‘She is a lovely and interesting person, Detective.’ This was said in the tones of a warning, which puzzled Huey further. ‘But she only meets half of my needs.’

_Ah_. There was an obvious leap to be made here, but Huey felt it wise to be slow on the uptake. He frowned, let his confusion show.

‘You know what I mean, Jack,’ Welsh said easily. The words, if not the tone, were chiding. ‘Don’t play dumb with people who long ago figured out how smart you are.’

‘I’m sorry, sir.’

Welsh looked at him with a small amount of scepticism. ‘You don’t mean that either.’ But he immediately continued, ‘If you want me to spell it out, Detective, then I will. I’m queer. And I believe that you are, too, otherwise I would not be having this conversation.’

Huey left a silence, not letting anything show on his face.

‘It’s something I’ve picked up on over time, in the ways you react to people, to men and to women. Your responses to certain statements, attitudes. Your unwillingness to talk about that area of your life. To be more accurate, Detective, I’m bisexual, and I believe you are exclusively gay.’

More silence.

‘You’re not denying it,’ Welsh reminded him helpfully.

‘Any response at all might be… misinterpreted, sir.’

‘Oh? In what way?’

Huey shrugged. ‘I don’t know why you’re telling me these things, I don’t know why you’re speculating about me. I don’t know how to answer you. And, if you’re right, though I’m not saying that you are, why on earth would I admit any of it to you?’

With his light irony, Welsh said, ‘Because there is an atmosphere of trust between us.’

That almost deserved a breath of laughter. ‘How can there be any trust in relation to this topic?’

‘What are you afraid of, Detective? Do you think this will harm your career prospects? I told you of my own inclinations so that you’d see yours won’t prejudice how I deal with you.’

‘With respect, sir, if this was simply between you and I –’

‘But it is, Detective. The matter is not going any further.’

Huey cast Welsh a doubtful look, and then asked, ‘Why did you bring it up in the first place?’

‘You haven’t worked that one out yet? You’re usually quicker than that. I’m asking whether I can begin seeing you, Detective, outside our working relationship.’

Resentment at being told he was slow, coupled uneasily with an instinctive eagerness. Huey carefully only let the resentment show. Strange, this hungry response of his to the man’s offer. He wouldn’t have thought he’d want to say _yes_, but he did. Wouldn’t have thought he’d find Welsh attractive, but the man was tall and imposing and possessed of great confidence. A man who’d been handsome in his youth, who was used to things working out his way. A man who carried his power easily, with hard expectations and subtle irony.

‘It’s not an idea that appeals to you,’ the Lieutenant said. ‘Or is it?’ he asked after a moment’s further observation.

‘I’m not gay, sir.’

He responded quietly, ‘Yes, you are, Jack.’

Huey closed his eyes for a moment. ‘I appreciate the offer, sir. I’m flattered by it. But I’m in no position to accept.’

‘Really?’ Welsh asked, considering this. ‘Why not?’

God, the last thing Huey needed to do right now was leave the man feeling insulted. ‘It’s not that the offer isn’t tempting.’ And Huey was still surprised about actually being tempted – he let the Lieutenant see a little of that. ‘It’s just that I can’t – I’m not able at this time –’

‘Why?’ The tone was quiet and thoughtful, but demanding. It seemed Welsh had assumed Huey would agree. Indeed, perhaps he’d only made the offer because after some investigation he was sure there was no reason for Huey to refuse. The Lieutenant wanted an answer, and he wanted it now.

Only one idea occurred to Huey, so he would have to go with it. ‘I’m committed elsewhere, sir.’

‘Committed to whom?’ Welsh frowned – this was news to him.

‘I don’t feel I should tell you, sir. It would be breaking a confidence.’

‘Is it necessarily a problem, Detective? I would expect to continue to see Doctor Pearson. Can we not reach an agreement?’

‘No,’ Huey said, relying on instinct alone, ‘he wouldn’t – That wouldn’t be possible. Even if I wanted to betray him.’

Welsh’s gaze was ruthless in its search of Huey’s face. ‘Who are we talking about?’ And then the man made a leap of his own. ‘Gardino.’

Huey stared at him, shocked at the idea.

‘Is it Louis Gardino you’re committed to, Detective?’

But perhaps that would work. Welsh would be far less likely to interfere if he thought the unit’s professionalism might suffer for it. ‘He’s my partner, sir,’ Huey said weakly.

‘Outside your working relationship?’

‘He’s my partner.’ Oh, it sounded ludicrous. But most good lies and hard truths did – they _felt_ right and sounded silly.

‘I hadn’t seen it,’ Welsh said thoughtfully. ‘Am I getting slow in my old age, or are you lying to me, Detective?’

‘I wouldn’t lie to you about it, sir. But I wouldn’t have told you, either, if you hadn’t guessed already.’

‘I see.’ The Lieutenant was still considering Huey, but he said very formally, ‘I’ve taken up too much of your time this evening, Detective.’

‘Not a problem, Lieutenant.’ And Huey stood, left Welsh’s office, collected his coat and walked out of there at a steady pace – not too fast, he didn’t want it to seem like he was bolting.

It occurred to Huey as he drove away from the station that Welsh would be watching Gardino the next morning with all that intelligent consideration of his. With the perceptiveness that had figured out Huey’s best secret. And that was when Huey’s heart froze.

#

A knock on the front door of his apartment, at eleven on a Sunday evening. Louis Gardino looked up from the novel he was reading, startled by the unexpected interruption. After a moment, he uncurled from the couch, padded over on his bare feet, and peered through the spy-hole, having to take his glasses off first in order to focus. ‘Jack?’ He slid the security chain free, opened the door. ‘Jack? What is it? Something’s happened on a case?’

‘No.’ The man pushed past him and into the apartment, stood restlessly over by the mini-bar. ‘I need a drink, Louis.’

‘Sure, help yourself.’ Gardino headed back to the couch, hunted for his bookmark amidst the cushions, and put the novel down. Then he stood straighter, and tightened the belt on his robe, wondering vaguely why he had on these threadbare old pyjamas the one time that the scrupulous Huey visited late at night. It wasn’t as if Gardino didn’t have two or three decent sets in the wardrobe in the vain hope of female company. ‘Want to pour me one, too?’ But Huey already had – even as he asked, Gardino was handed a tumbler containing a nip of whisky and two ice cubes. ‘Thanks.’

‘Cheers,’ Huey said flatly, before swallowing a generous mouthful.

‘Sit down. Been a hell of a week, huh?’

‘Yes, it has. And I don’t know if it’s just gotten better or worse.’ The man sat in the chair across the coffee table from Gardino, and lapsed into silence.

Gardino asked with a frown, ‘What is it, Jack? What are you doing here?’ After all, Huey and Gardino had never really been a pair for socialising. Unlike Vecchio and the Mountie, who weren’t even partners yet seemed to spend every waking moment in each other’s pockets.

‘I was at the station,’ Huey said.

More silence. ‘But it’s not about a case?’ No reply. Gardino shrugged, and drank the whisky, liking the fierceness of it in his throat. Then he frowned some more at Huey, for the man was usually very sure of himself and very contained – but tonight he was troubled about something.

‘I had a talk with Welsh,’ the man finally continued.

‘Yeah, and…?’

‘He knows, Louis. He knows.’

‘He knows what?’

That dark gaze of Huey’s was abruptly focussed wholly on Gardino. ‘He knows how I feel about you, he knows what I want.’

And that was supposed to be an explanation. Gardino’s frown deepened. ‘What do you mean? What is it you want?’

Huey grimaced in impatience, and swallowed the last of his drink. ‘You know very well.’ The man stood, went to help himself to another nip of whisky. It was then, as he stood five feet away and behind Louis’s back, Huey declared, ‘I want you, Louis.’

‘Want me?’ Gardino echoed, still not understanding.

‘What? You mean you’re the only person in the entire Division who hasn’t figured it out yet?’ Huey stalked back around to the couch, towered over a confused Gardino. ‘What, are you as slow as Vecchio – you need a sign to tell you what’s right in front of you? You need me to hit you with my car?’ The man laughed, unamused. ‘Or you want me to eat a piece of cheesecake with a knife and fork, perhaps.’

‘No.’

Huey glared at him. ‘You knew I’m gay, didn’t you?’

‘Well, yes,’ Gardino said, ‘of course.’ Though it was all news to him. Jack Huey – this handsome, self-possessed, well-dressed, frighteningly intelligent man – was telling Gardino that he was queer. And that – ‘You want _me_?’

‘Yes.’

Gardino shook his head. This just didn’t make any sense. ‘Why?’ he asked.

Huey rolled his eyes heavenward in exasperation. ‘Why do you think? You’re my partner.’

‘But I never –’

‘What? You never knew I wanted you? You never wanted a man before? You never expected any of this to happen?’

‘Yes,’ Gardino said helplessly. He added, ‘I don’t know that I want a man _now_, let alone before.’

But Huey had paced away. ‘Welsh threatened to hold it over my head,’ he was muttering. ‘Being totally unreasonable about it. I don’t know how far it’s going to go, but I figured if I’m going to suffer for it, I may as well have the pleasure first. No point in calling down the thunder just for enjoying the menu – you might as well eat the meal.’

Gardino was watching his partner, completely bemused.

‘Might as well have all three courses,’ Huey continued, turning back to face him. ‘Might as well have that cheese platter, too, with coffee and a glass of port…’

‘What are you talking about?’

The man stalked near again. ‘I want you.’

‘So you said.’ It was quite unnerving, having Huey focus on him as if Gardino was merely the latest in a line-up of pitiful interrogation subjects. Gardino asked, ‘Welsh is making trouble over this? Over you being queer?’

‘Gay,’ Huey corrected. ‘Yes.’

‘And you’re – you’re telling me you might as well have the pleasure, even though I don’t want it. You’re telling me you want me, and you’ll have me, even though that means I’ll crash and burn for it, too.’

‘You would anyway, Louis. Welsh was assuming we’d already become lovers.’

_‘Lovers?’_ Gardino scratched at his scalp, jammed fingers back into his tangled hair. ‘And you said signs, like Ray was talking about.’ He puzzled over this for a moment. ‘Are you telling me you love me, Jack?’

Silence. Silence that looked about as helpless as Gardino had felt only moments before.

‘Is this about love, Jack?’

And at last the man said weakly, ‘You’re my partner, Louis.’

‘Yes, I am.’

‘My _partner_…’

So full of feeling he was undone by the strength of it, that’s what Jack Huey looked like right now. Handsome, superbly handsome. Someone Gardino had learned to trust, in certain areas of their working lives – a partner he had learned to trust and to admire. Could Gardino’s admiration lead to what Jack wanted from him? ‘Tell me again,’ Gardino demanded, standing to face the man.

‘I want you,’ Huey whispered. ‘We’re partners, Louis. Partners back each other up, partners work things through together.’

‘Yes, they do. That’s good enough for me, Jack.’

‘You don’t want to… talk about it some more?’ Huey offered, apparently unsure now. Or perhaps he was nervous, Gardino really couldn’t quite read him.

‘No. Talk is bad. Talk means it’s all over before it’s even begun.’ Gardino walked closer, a step or two, and then a third. He frowned at the man’s mouth, wondering what it would feel like, wondering how his own would fit against it. Strange, to be thinking he could do this, to be feeling he could kiss another man. Strange, knowing he was about to. ‘I can be your partner, Jack,’ Gardino said. And he took that final step.

#

Gardino was playing his part perfectly. Huey nodded to himself in quiet approval. Gardino was happy, in the smug way that meant he’d gotten lucky the previous night. No one would fail to miss that. And yet he was trying to keep it all in check, so no one would ask for details, so he wouldn’t risk giving his dire secret away – for Louis Gardino had gotten lucky with a man. And not just any man, but his partner, Jack Huey.

It hadn’t taken much for Huey to put that smile on Gardino’s face. Nothing complicated, nothing too difficult, nothing terribly strenuous. Nothing that meant very much, but it hadn’t felt like such a trial, either. Huey figured he could maintain this farce of a relationship for the time being. Just long enough to convince Welsh, long enough for Gardino to have his little adventure and then move on.

Welsh had quickly read Gardino’s bashful satisfaction, and had presumably attributed it to Huey. To clearly make the point, however, Huey waited until Welsh was watching them through the windows of his office – Huey leaned across the desk to Gardino as if to say something, his hand surreptitiously brushing the other man’s fingers. On cue, Gardino pulled his hand back as if burnt, glaring at Huey with a mix of fear and humour. ‘What do you think you’re doing?’ he asked in a forced whisper, trying not to laugh, glancing left and right to see if they’d been noticed.

Huey just gave him a smooth smile, letting a hint of sexual promise fill his eyes, and Gardino almost panicked. ‘All right,’ Huey said after a moment, ‘I’ll behave.’ He sat back, and continued more seriously, ‘I was forgetting myself. We must both behave ourselves, just for this little while. Do you hear me, Louis?’

‘Yeah. Yeah, I hear you.’

And they locked gazes for a moment – Gardino apparently remembering what they’d done last night, and anticipating more of it – before they settled back into the business at hand.

Welsh stood up, and with a snap he closed the venetian blinds on his office windows.

#

That evening, Huey stood before the Lieutenant’s desk, in a formal stance with his eyes focussed on the opposite wall. The door had been firmly closed behind him. Welsh was sitting back in his chair, tapping a pencil against his thigh, very much at ease. Vastly amused. ‘You know, Jack, I’m really rather flattered.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘You go to such extraordinary lengths to avoid me, dragging poor Gardino into the middle of this. A simple _no_ would have sufficed.’

Huey let a beat go by. ‘There is no _this_, Lieutenant.’

‘No, you’re right, there isn’t,’ Welsh said in his deceptively agreeable tone.

‘Yes, sir. May I leave –’

But Welsh was continuing. ‘If only you’d seen that yesterday evening, Jack, you might not have felt you had to enlist poor Gardino’s co‑operation. Though he looks happy enough, I suppose.’

Again, any response might be misinterpreted, so Huey remained silent.

‘Well, you know the drill, Detective,’ Welsh said, abruptly business-like. ‘Don’t let this situation between you and Gardino affect your police-work. If it does, I’ll deal with you both appropriately. If it doesn’t, then this topic is dead between us, and nothing ever happened. Do I make myself clear?’

‘Yes, sir.’

A contemplative mood now, perhaps trying to throw Huey into confusion with all these changes in attitude… ‘I’m sorry you wouldn’t give me a chance, Jack. It would have been interesting.’ Then a return of the amusement. ‘But I’m even sorrier for Gardino. He has no idea what he’s taken on, has he?’

A beat, and then Huey said, ‘I believe you’re underestimating Louis, sir.’

‘Am I?’ Ah, that had given the man something to think about. _Good_.

Huey asked, ‘May I leave now, sir?’

Welsh dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

#

‘You didn’t back me up today,’ Gardino said quietly.

‘What’s that?’ Huey asked after a moment.

Gardino sighed. He was sitting over by his open bedroom window, smoking. Even though this was his apartment, his lover had given him notice that as soon as the weather began warming up, Gardino would be expected to smoke outside. He looked over at Jack Huey where he lay on Gardino’s bed, propped up on all the pillows Gardino owned. ‘I said, you didn’t back me up today.’ Silence, so Louis continued, ‘When Vecchio and his Mountie friend were trying to muscle in on the Tyson case, and we were arguing with Welsh – _I_ was arguing with Welsh. You didn’t say a word.’

‘You’re perfectly capable of arguing with Welsh, Louis,’ the man replied flatly.

He let out a little laugh. ‘If I thought that’s why you did it, I wouldn’t mind so much. But I don’t see you really having such a high opinion of my negotiating skills.’

‘So why _did_ I do it? Why would I have risked losing a good case?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t know what goes on in that head of yours half the time. Maybe… you wanted to prove to me that you can let me down.’

Silence. The words hung between them, harsh ideas heavy in the air. Huey murmured, ‘We need to back each other up.’ But it wasn’t the resounding declaration it should have been.

‘Yes, we do,’ Gardino said with the warmth that Huey was lacking. ‘I need to know you won’t do that in the field, I need to know you won’t let me down when we’re out there dealing with the bad guys.’

‘Life and death situations, you can rely on me.’

Gardino laughed again, humourlessly. ‘Physical injury situations, too?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good.’ But something wasn’t quite well here. Instead of joining Huey in bed, Gardino lit another cigarette, and thought some more. It might take him longer to find the answers than it did his partner, but he could usually get there under his own power. Eventually he asked, ‘What about emotional situations? Can I rely on you there?’

Silence from his lover, silence and that beautiful dark face full of mystery.

‘We’ve been doing this for five weeks now,’ Gardino said, trying to verbally find his way to the truth. ‘And I feel I know you less than I ever did.’

At last the man whispered, ‘Yeah, you don’t know me.’

Gardino’s hand quaked a little as he lifted it to draw in some smoke. ‘Then tell me something about yourself, partner.’

‘Don’t you want to move on yet, Gardino?’ his lover asked him. ‘When will this be adventure enough? Surely you want to return to your pursuit of the female of the species.’

‘No.’ Gardino sighed. ‘No, I don’t. I kind of figured this was… for keeps.’

A pause long enough for Gardino to finish another cigarette. And then Huey began talking. ‘I’ll tell you something about myself.’ He had a lovely rich voice, deep and warm and clear. Gardino loved listening to it, even when it said the hardest things. ‘That night this first started, I told you I’d been at the station talking to the Lieutenant.’

‘Yes.’

‘Welsh suggested he and I begin a relationship. Just a casual one. He wanted to keep seeing Doctor Pearson. But he wanted to begin seeing me.’ Huey shrugged. ‘I didn’t want that.’

Gardino drew in a breath, and tentatively proposed, ‘Because you like me.’

Huey replied impatiently, ‘No, you idiot. Because he’s my boss. That already gives him a great deal of power over me. Add sex to supervision, that’s a dangerous mix.’

That hurt. That really hurt, but it wasn’t as unexpected as Huey seemed to assume. Gardino shook his head, sensing that the story wasn’t over yet. ‘Tell me the rest.’

‘You’re not as stupid as you look, are you, Louis?’

He grimaced at his lover, and lit another cigarette.

‘I discovered that I could like the Lieutenant, that took me by surprise. He has many qualities to admire. And I didn’t want to give him that power over me as well as all the rest.’

A long moment. Gardino felt kind of leaden, but none of this came as such an enormous shock. He said, ‘This wasn’t about love. This wasn’t about you loving me.’

‘Of course not, you moron. It never was.’

Gardino managed to find a watery smile from somewhere. ‘You don’t even care enough to soften that blow?’

‘I guess not.’

‘And you think it’s a weakness to like someone?’

Huey nodded. ‘Of course.’

Gardino stared at the man, sorry as hell for him. Something had gone wrong in Jack Huey at some formative stage. Something hadn’t quite connected, or a link had been broken asunder. ‘Oh, Jack,’ he said quietly but with feeling. ‘That’s not a weakness.’

‘I pity you,’ Huey responded lightly. ‘You have no idea how the world works.’

‘Maybe I don’t, but I don’t think you know any better than me. It’s a strength to like people, Jack. It’s a strength, and I’ll prove it to you. I’ll prove it to you by sticking around.’

‘What?’

‘For as long as you’ll have me – I don’t want to force myself on you, but I figured this was for keeps, and it can stay that way as far as I’m concerned. I love you, Jack. That’s how I operate, even if you don’t.’

Huey was staring at him with those dark unreadable eyes. ‘Are you mad?’

‘Maybe,’ Gardino said with a laugh. ‘Maybe I have to be mad to be your partner, but that’s what I am.’

‘And what do you get out of it?’

‘I get to love you.’

‘That’s something you put in, not get out.’

‘No, it isn’t.’ Gardino shrugged, and sat back in the chair. ‘I have three divorces under my belt, Jack. None of my marriages had much going for them. I gave up thinking I’d finally get it right, meet the right woman – I gave up on that hope a long time ago. So I figure this partnership has as much chance of working out as anything else does. It doesn’t matter to me that we’re putting in – or getting out – different things.’

Huey stared at him.

‘Do you want to continue?’ Gardino asked him. ‘Now that we’re not pretending this is something it isn’t?’

A long moment. ‘All right. I just don’t understand what you’re getting out of it. I don’t see the sense in it.’

‘No, you don’t, do you? You don’t even understand that’s the wrong question.’

‘You’re feeling superior.’

Gardino let a grin broaden his face. ‘And you can let me, because you think I have no basis for it. You don’t think very much of me, so you can afford to keep me around.’

‘All right,’ the man repeated after more thought.

Gardino got up and walked over to the bed. ‘I love you, Jack.’

‘You’re nuts, Louis.’ But they began having sex together anyway.

#

Jack Huey lay there on Gardino’s bed, watching that curly head of ginger hair bob up and down as Gardino enthusiastically applied his mouth where it would do the most good. It felt quite satisfactory, surprisingly enough. Sex with Gardino had never been a trial – partly because in this area, as in so many others, Gardino did whatever Huey suggested, and his complaints were easily dealt with.

Difficult to concentrate fully on the physical tonight. Huey frowned, and caught Gardino’s hands in his, brought them to his hips, applied pressure to indicate Gardino should hold Huey down hard against the mattress.

Yes, Huey was a man with needs. This arrangement with Gardino at least helped meet those needs on a far more regular basis than Huey had previously allowed himself. Perhaps he had been too scrupulous and too choosy. Too careful, intending that no one discover his secret. Which hadn’t prevented Welsh from working it out…

And look what that resulted in – a partnership with a man Huey had little liking for. If everything else balanced in Huey’s favour, he would far prefer to be doing this with Welsh. That had been clear to Huey ever since that evening the Lieutenant declared, _I’m queer, and I believe that you are, too_.

Tolerating Gardino – and regularly having his three course meal, complete with cheese platter, coffee and port – that wasn’t such a big price to pay for safety. Because it meant that Welsh wouldn’t raise the topic again… _I’m asking whether I can begin seeing you, Detective_. And, in the unlikely event that Welsh did ask, Huey had an on-going excuse to politely refuse him.

Thoughts too strong and distracted for concentrating on Gardino’s efforts. Huey reached down to toy with his own balls, Gardino shifting a little to one side to accommodate him.

On-going, yes. Apparently Gardino was determined to stay with Huey, no matter what. Which seemed completely unreasonable to Huey – he didn’t understand any of that, hadn’t followed any of Gardino’s ramblings on the subject. He was willing to admit that, since they’d begun this arrangement, Huey had found Louis Gardino to be a little more interesting than he’d previously thought. Luckily for Gardino’s plans, Huey didn’t feel threatened by him, though – Huey was simply interested enough in the man to let this ridiculous relationship continue.

He required more sensation. Huey widened the angle between his thighs, moved one of Gardino’s hands to play with Huey’s balls instead. His own hand dived further down, fingers blindly seeking entrance and then filling him. Huey let his head fall back with a groan, caught up at last in the web of pleasure he wove with Gardino’s help.

_Sorry you wouldn’t give me a chance, Jack. It would have been interesting._

Gardino echoed Huey’s groan, adding tones of desperation, no doubt surprised for they had ignored this area and this kind of activity. And Gardino’s efforts doubled, his paleness blooming into warmth, _everything_ about him betraying his own increased excitement.

Not caring to prolong the act tonight, Huey soon found completion, spurting up again and again into Gardino’s willing mouth. And then he tumbled back against the pillows, too exhausted to care for anything more.

His partner moved restless on hands and knees, full of need. ‘Jack…’ Close, shifting over Huey’s quiescent body, yearning as if he wasn’t sure how to find what he wanted. ‘Jack, let me have you.’ A moment, waiting anxiously for a reply. ‘Please, Jack, I didn’t know –’

Huey whispered, ‘What?’

‘I didn’t know that was an option. Please…’ Gardino caressed Huey’s nearest hip with one hand, leaned down to kiss a shoulder. ‘Let me fuck you. _Is_ that an option?’

And Huey just didn’t feel bothered enough to tell the man _no_. He found the wherewithal to roll over onto one side. Gardino quickly moved close behind him. So, Huey lay still as his partner thrust eagerly inside, filled him. He allowed this to happen, allowed Gardino to push him further over, face into the pillows. Gardino clumsy and hungry, but it was good anyway. Better than fingers.

Gardino loved it, and didn’t seem to mind Huey knowing that. Within moments he was yelling out, surrendering to shuddering reaction, falling spent across Huey. Murmuring, ‘Love you, Jack, love you.’

‘I don’t care,’ Huey replied.

‘That was incredible, Jack. Thanks. You know, thanks for letting me do that.’ Punctuated by further kisses across Huey’s shoulders.

‘Doesn’t matter, Louis. It doesn’t matter to me.’ And Huey shifted away so that he could fall asleep in peace.

♦


End file.
